


Fire in his Breath

by Brothaigh



Series: The Little Soldier Boy [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Lu Ten lives, OC, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 13:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20949338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brothaigh/pseuds/Brothaigh
Summary: In which Lu Ten isn't so different from his father





	Fire in his Breath

**Author's Note:**

> So, this bit comes before "Soldier Boy," immediately after the attack on Lu Ten's soldiers in Ba Sing Se.

Lu Ten's chest was tight and he struggled to keep a cough from breaking out of his throat. The smoke, ash, and all that belongs to a burning village had made his body weak. It had been a small settlement, not too far from Ba Sing Se, where he had settled after the backstabbing by another Fire Nation troop. The air was still hot as Lu Ten stumbled through the charred remains of the village - he would have called it Hehua for the kindness of its people if it hadn't been destroyed - but there wasn't anywhere to go. The outskirts of the village that had been littered with merchants and Ostrich Horses only hours before were smoldering.

If he'd had the gall to look closer, Lu Ten knew he would find bodies among the produce that had been reduced to ash.

A weak cough finally broke Lu Ten's resolve and he collapsed into a coughing fit. His body shuddered as he struggled to regain composure.

_For a fire bender_, he thought, _you can't handle your fire very well._

With that thought, Lu Ten finally lost consciousness in the dirt and ash. He had slumped forward, head to the ground and knees pressed uncomfortably to his chest - not that he could tell, of course, but his body would when he finally woke. The physical pain would be hard, but even harder would be the dream - or nightmare - that came to his unconscious mind.

* * *

_Lu Ten's breathing was shallow, rushed, as he fled Ba Sing Se. He had to get out, to leave, run, flee. His uncle, Ozai, had sent an entire legion after his own. It made no sense - _he _was the Fire Nation's greatest hope against the Earth Kingdom; _he_ had fought his way to the center of the city with no help from the Fire Nation as a whole;_ he_ had done all Ozai had ever asked of him, all his father had ever asked._

_The ambush had been swift - his men had settled for the night, but he had stayed just outside of camp to write home to his father. It was a simple letter - thanks and acknowledgment of all the aging man had ever done for him - but it had been enough to keep Lu Ten long enough to watch the first tent be set ablaze._

_He hadn't believed it at first, but when he saw the retreating silhouettes of Fire Nation soldiers - their helmets making the figures distinctive - he knew it had been no trick of the mind, no mistake, and certainly no mishap. His tent had been the first to burn and he had been the first, _the only_, who managed to flee the blaze. He ran from the city as fast as his legs could take him, but it hadn't been enough. When he reached the first village, Hehua, and sought rest, his assailants soon met him. They must have been thorough at the camps and seen him flee, but no matter, the inn at which Lu Ten had made his resting spot was on fire long before he woke to the smell. When he saw the rest of the village on fire and the same Fire Nation soldiers harassing the townsfolk, Lu Ten hunkered down inside the fireplace of his room. Hours passed with more of the building, the village, everything becoming engulfed in flames. He must have gone unconscious there as well because the next thing he knew was waking to ash falling where once there had been buildings._

* * *

Lu Ten's doubled over posture made him appear dead, or near to it when a servant to the Beifong family approached. It had been several hours and the village's remains had finally released the last of their smoke. It was sheer luck that this man approached - he had been seeking the market, but evidently would not find it here. Hei, he was called, approached Lu Ten's body in search of an explanation. He hadn't expected his prodding of the man to rouse him, Lu Ten had appeared dead after all. The shout of fear that escaped Hei only served to further wake Lu Ten and the fire bender wiped at his eyes - spreading soot about his face - then allowed a series of sputtered coughs to fall past his lips.

He hardly had the strength to hold himself up, let alone talk, and Hei soon realized Lu Ten's predicament.

"I'll take you home with me, we'll get you cleaned up," Hei stated, glancing at his Ostrich Horse and cart. He had been expecting a full load from the market, and the man he'd found would certainly fill the tiny cart. A firm nod from Hei made Lu Ten relax as much as he could against the ground again. It was obvious that Hei wasn’t a bender, and that he couldn’t tell that Lu Ten was a fire bender. Lu Ten gladly took the hand Hei offered him and struggled to his feet.

Hei guided the fire bender to his cart and ensured that the man wouldn’t come tumbling out before he mounted the Ostrich Horse and they headed for Hei’s patrons’ estate.

* * *

An hour, perhaps two, passed with Lu Ten teetering on the edge of consciousness in Hei’s cart - he could hardly keep his head up and the weak attempts he had made at conversation were soon hushed by Hei. The man wanted to see Lu Ten make a recovery. As he thought more, Lu Ten realized that perhaps an earth bender could draw the ash from his lungs. He’d be able to breathe easy again, but first, he’d have to be back on his feet. It was sheer luck that his clothes had been so soiled Hei didn’t question his origins, he supposed, though it also helped that they were in tatters.

Soon enough, the clacking of the Ostrich Horse’s claws on the ground turned from that of loose cobbles to firm, perhaps flat stone, ground. Lu Ten brought his head up as best he could and looked at what he could see of the estate - more green than he’d ever seen in wealthy Fire Nation estates, more land too. The entire estate was walled in and Lu Ten couldn’t help a small smile as he watched a young girl, no more than 14, stumble with her mother’s hand clutched tightly in her own.

Hei brought the Ostrich Horse and cart to a stop at the carriage house - Lu Ten could see a much more elegant carriage, perhaps requiring four Ostrich Horses to pull, inside the building. Hei dismounted and went to help Lu Ten from the cart before unhitching the animal and struggling to lift the cart and hang it next to another. Despite struggling to breathe, Lu Ten was quick to take one end of the cart and help his savior. He hadn’t noticed it - too ill at his rescue, he presumed - but Hei was no older than himself, and far cleaner by all means. Hei offered a smile in thanks, then spoke.

”Let me take you inside, I’m sure I have something you could wear that doesn’t reek of burnt flesh,” Hei stated, lips quirked in a more amused smile before offering a shoulder for Lu Ten to lean into as they walked.

Hei’s quarters were attached by a short walkway to the carriage house and he drew water for a bath as Lu Ten caught his breath at the doorway.

”Thank you,” Lu Ten finally rasped, a cough punctuated his statement, “Your hospitality is unmatched.” He wiped at his sooty face again and his finally-conscious mind screamed with the pain that came from stretching a burned arm. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but Lu Ten finally realized why Hei had said his clothes smelled of burnt flesh.

**Author's Note:**

> Hehua - lotus blossom


End file.
